Timor-Leste arrests 90 in online crime raids: Reports
Timor-Leste has arrested 90 more foreign nationals suspected of involvement in illegal online activities linked to gambling and fraud.
According to several media reports, the latest operation, carried out on Monday by the Criminal Investigation Police (PNTL), follows the arrest of around 200 foreign nationals last week, bringing the total number of people detained in recent raids to almost 300. Police said the raids targeted suspected fraudulent call centre operations in the Comoro district of Dili and Ulmera in Liquiçá municipality, around 17 kilometres west of the capital.
Authorities detained 14 Chinese nationals in Dili and 76 foreign nationals in Liquiçá, comprising 75 Indonesians and one Chinese national. Those arrested were taken to the Criminal Investigation Headquarters for identification and investigation.
The latest arrests come days after Timorese authorities detained approximately 200 foreign nationals, mainly from China, Cambodia and Indonesia, over suspected involvement in illegal online gambling and fraud operations. A separate criminal case involving 27 defendants linked to a scam call centre is also before the courts.
Gaming ambitions reversed
The crackdown reflects a dramatic shift in Timor-Leste’s gaming policy.
In April 2025, the government issued its first offshore gaming licence to Golden River Universe (GRU), launching the Timor-Leste Online Gaming Operator Supervisory (TOGOS) framework. The initiative aimed to attract foreign investment, diversify the economy and establish the country as a regulated offshore gaming jurisdiction.
GRU, a subsidiary of Grand Dragon Lotaria, also announced plans to relocate support operations from Cambodia and the Philippines to Timor-Leste.
However, the government’s position changed within months. In October 2025, the country’s Council of Ministers revoked all online gambling and betting licences, halted pending applications and banned new permits.
UN warning prompted policy shift
The reversal followed a threat alert issued by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in September 2025. The UNODC warned that organised crime groups were using foreign direct investment as a cover to establish scam centres and illegal gambling operations in Timor-Leste.
The agency identified regulatory weaknesses in the Oecusse-Ambeno Special Administrative Region and its Oecusse Digital Centre free trade zone, warning that criminal groups were exploiting investment opportunities while presenting themselves as legitimate businesses.
UNODC said Timor-Leste was showing early warning signs similar to those seen before scam compounds expanded across Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and the Philippines. It warned that such hubs often evolve into centres for cyber fraud, money laundering, human trafficking and drug trafficking.
The UNODC’s warning came shortly after the Philippines shut down Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs), prompting concerns that displaced operators and criminal syndicates could seek new bases elsewhere in Southeast Asia. Those concerns had already been raised by Philippine Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla during a visit to Timor-Leste in October 2024.
Authorities step up enforcement
Concerns over organised crime have continued into 2026.
An investigation published by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) on 7 April warned that Timor-Leste risked becoming a regional hub for online scam syndicates. The investigation cited police raids that uncovered facilities resembling scam centres elsewhere in Southeast Asia and pointed to vulnerabilities, including porous borders, a cash-based economy, and the country’s need for foreign investment.
Authorities have since expanded enforcement efforts against illegal online gambling, cyber fraud and organised crime, while increasing cooperation with international partners.
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